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“Romancing the senses" is an apt description for the experiences showcased on our northern Italy tours… for the landscapes you’ll see and the lifestyles you’ll sample have resulted in many a love affair with the country’s northern regions. It starts with fashion and art in Milan when you view da Vinci’s The Last Supper with a local guide. It continues during a private Tauck cruise across Lake Como to Bellagio and a boat ride to Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore. It captures your heart along the cobblestone streets of Verona, home to Romeo & Juliet… your taste buds at an agriturismo in the Franciacorta region and a cooking demo in Bologna (whose nickname is La Grassa, the Fat One)… and all the senses in Venice, with visits by boat to some of the Venetian Islands and a Tauck Exclusive, after-hours guided visit to St. Mark’s Basilica to view its treasures without the daytime crowds. Now that’s amore, from pane to formaggio to vino.
Highlights
- TAUCK’S YELLOW ROADS! Picture-postcard settings await at every turn, dip and bend in the Italian Lakes region – tranquility perfected
- TAUCK EXCLUSIVE! – An after-hours guided visit to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
- Private Lake Como & Lake Maggiore cruises with spectacular scenery & elegant villas
- A cooking class & epicurean dinner in Bologna; learn the secrets from a chef
- Tours & tastings in Modena; experience the art behind balsamic vinegar at the source and learn how Parmesan cheese is made
- A boat cruise to visit the islands of Burano and Torcello in the Venetian Lagoon
- A visit to an agriturismo in the Franciacorta wine region, including a tasting and lunch
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
- 20 meals (10 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 6 dinners), service charges, gratuities to local guides, admission fees, taxes & porterage
Itinerary
Day One
Benvenuti a Milano!
Your northern Italy holiday begins at 6:00 PM at Grand Hotel et de Milan. A transfer is included from Milan’s Malpensa Airport or Linate Airport to Grand Hotel et de Milan, close to the La Scala Opera House and the city’s celebrated fashion district. Please join us to meet your Tauck Director and your fellow travellers at a welcome reception followed by dinner this evening.
Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hotel et de Milan
Day Two
Da Vinci, the Duomo & more in Milan
This morning will be a special treat for aficionados of religious art masterpieces… or The Da Vinci Code. Visit the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie to take in Leonardo da Vinci’s mural The Last Supper, which he painted on the refectory wall at the request of his patron, Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. With dimensions of 15 by 29 feet, this beloved mural covers the entire large wall. Continue on to magnificent Castello Sforzesco which houses Michelangelo’s last unfinished masterwork, the Rondanini Pieta. Later, admire the Duomo, the great Cathedral of Milan, a striking example of Gothic architecture, and the impressive Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. After a short walking tour, view works by Raphael, Bellini and other great Italian masters at Pinacoteca di Brera; the rest of the day is free to explore what interests you most.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Hotel et de Milan
Day Three
Lake Como villas and a cruise to Bellagio
It’s said to be Italy’s most beautiful lake, and you’ll understand why it entrances celebrities, aristocrats and jetsetters when you see Lake Como for yourself today. In Tremezzo, discover Villa Carlotta, known for its lovely setting and splendid 17th-century gardens decorated with sculptures, stairways and fountains. A private boat ride across the lake to Bellagio reveals the grand villas of the rich and famous. After lunch on your own, board another private boat for a cruise to Como en route to your Belle Époque hotel in Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees
Day Four
Lake Maggiore and Baroque Isola Bella
Your northern Italy holiday continues as you travel by boat to Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore and the exquisite Villa Borromeo on the tiny, private island. Count Vataliano Borromeo began the construction of this opulent Baroque palace and its splendid gardens in 1632. A guided tour of the ornate family home showcases priceless works of art, tapestries and furniture in an elegant and sumptuous setting. Have lunch on Isola Pescatori, then return to lovely Stresa, where the afternoon and evening are free to enjoy as you please.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees
Day Five
Bergamo, a wine tasting & on to Verona
Today’s travels take you across lush rural landscapes to ancient Bergamo, where you’ll explore its walled medieval center – straight out of a storybook illustration – with a local guide; visit the Piazza Vecchia, the 12th-century Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Cappella Colleoni. After a wine tasting and tasty lunch at an agriturismo in the Franciacorta region, your northern Italy holiday continues to Verona, land of Romeo and Juliet, where your accommodations at the Due Torri Hotel are not far from the famous balcony that inspired Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Due Torri Hotel
Day Six
Verona, the home of Romeo & Juliet
Verona is probably best known as the home of Shakespeare’s tragic lovers, Romeo and Juliet… and of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Valentine and Proteus. But, Verona is so much more. In honour of its many historical buildings, Verona has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the third largest after the Colosseum in Rome and still used for operas and other cultural entertainment, and other buildings that have survived since Roman times… as well as for its outstanding wine and cuisine. A walking tour this morning reveals the many charms of the city; the afternoon and evening are free to continue your explorations on your own. Enjoy dinner with wine at a local ristorante tonight.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Due Torri Hotel
Day Seven
Ferraris, Parmigiano & balsamic in Modena
Travel to Modena, where you’ll visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factory to experience first-hand the process of cheese-making; from the milk delivery to the finished wheels, follow each detail of the production – and end with a tasting! You’ll then hear the story of Enzo Ferrari, driver and creator of Scuderia Ferrari in the 1930s, at the Enzo Ferrari Museum. Following lunch, a guided visit reveals the art of balsamic vinegar making – an elaborate process of rendering grapes and decanting must into wooden barrels. Your visit is memorable, as is the sampling of this aromatic staple of gourmet cooking aged from 18 to 25+ years! Journey on to the celebrated university town of Bologna, where food, fashion and culture reign supreme. Dine this evening at a local restaurant.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Majestic –Giá Baglioni
Day Eight
Bologna & a cooking class with a chef
Surrounded by hills, the dusky red buildings, marbled-floored ancient porticoes and wide piazzas contribute to the distinctly Renaissance feel in the center of Bologna, a bastion of food, fashion and culture. Home of the world’s oldest university, the Alma Mater Studiorum, founded in 1088, notable scholars such as Dante, Boccaccio and Petraca once walked its streets. A walking tour this morning reveals sights that they may well have seen centuries ago – including the university’s magnificent Archigninnasio, the Church of San Domenico, Piazza Santo Stefano and the city’s iconic Two Towers. After time to explore on your own, learn the secrets of Bologna’s cuisine in a cooking demonstration by a chef prior to a three-course dinner.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Majestic –Giá Baglioni
Day Nine
The Venetian Islands & St. Mark’s after hours
Travel on to Venice today, one of the world’s most enchanting cities. After lunch at a local restaurant, board a boat to begin an exploration of the islands of the Venetian Lagoon, starting with Burano, known for its exquisite lacemaking; continue to nearby Torcello, where you’ll tour its 11th-century basilica. Back on dry land (or at least the Venetian version thereof), check into your home for the next two nights in the City of Canals – The Gritti Palace, Venice, originally the 15th-century private home of a Doge of Venice overlooking the Grand Canal, recently re-emerging reopening from a painstaking, handcrafted restoration. Tonight a Tauck Exclusive awaits – an after-hours guided visit to celebrated St. Mark’s Basilica in the heart of Venice (subject to availability and day of the tour may vary), during which you can explore the iconic Basilica without the usual crowds!
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: The Gritti Palace, Venice
Day Ten
More Venetian delights as you please
Awaken in intriguing Venice, one of the world’s most beloved cities, today and indulge in all things Venetian just as you choose. You might begin your day enjoying a coffee in Piazza San Marco, referred to by Alfred de Musset as “the drawing room of Europe.” Here in the city where streets are paved with water, the sound of human voices replaces the traffic noise so common in the other great cities of Europe as pedestrians (and pigeons) flock to this central gathering place for Venetians. Perhaps you’ll choose to see the magnificent view of the city from the top of St. Mark’s bell tower, stroll over to the Rialto Bridge, take in some of the city’s excellent museums or shop for distinctive Venetian souvenirs such as the traditional Carnival masks and colourful Venetian glass. Or, just follow your nose and see where the tiny streets might take you. This evening, join us as we celebrate the end of a splendid trip with our farewell cocktail reception and dinner at the hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: The Gritti Palace, Venice
Day Eleven
Journey home
Tauck’s memorable northern Italy holiday ends in Venice. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Gritti Palace, Venice to Venice’s Marco Polo International Airport. Please allow 3 hours for airport check-in formalities. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Note: Tours of September 11, 25 and October 9 will stay at Hotel Danieli in Venice on nights 9 & 10.
Departures & Rates
Small Group Departures – Select small group departures, averaging 24 Tauck guests, are priced from AUD $9,490 per person twin share
Ask one of our Travel Specialists about Packaging Flights with your Tour and Save
*Rates are person based on twin share. Single Supplements apply, for more information please speak to one of our Travel Specialists.
*Rates are subject to availability and seasonality and may change without notice. Rates are based on two adults sharing. For solo travellers or single person occupancy rates or further information on terms and conditions, please contact our Travel Specialists at time of booking.
